.TH UPDATEDB 1 \" -*- nroff -*-
.SH NAME
updatedb \- update a file name database
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B updatedb [\fIoptions\fP]
.
.SH DESCRIPTION
This manual page
documents the GNU version of
.BR updatedb ,
which updates file name databases used by GNU
.BR locate .
The file name databases contain lists of files that were in
particular directory trees when the databases were last updated.
The file name of the default database is determined when \fBlocate\fP
and \fBupdatedb\fP are configured and installed.  The frequency with
which the databases are updated and the directories for which they
contain entries depend on how often \fBupdatedb\fP is run, and with
which arguments.
.P
In networked environments, it often makes sense to build a database at
the root of each filesystem, containing the entries for that filesystem.
.B updatedb
is then run for each filesystem on the fileserver where that
filesystem is on a local disk, to prevent thrashing the network.
Users can select which databases \fBlocate\fP searches using an
environment variable or command line option; see \fBlocate\fP(1).
Databases cannot be concatenated together.
.P
The
.B LOCATE02
database format was introduced in GNU findutils
version 4.0 in order to allow machines with different byte orderings
to share the databases.  GNU
.B locate
can read both the old and
.B LOCATE02
database formats, though
support for the old pre-4.0 database format will be removed shortly.
.
.SH OPTIONS
.TP
.B \-\-findoptions='\fI\-option1 \-option2...\fP'
Global options to pass on to \fBfind\fP.
The environment variable \fBFINDOPTIONS\fP also sets this value.
Default is none.
.TP
.B \-\-localpaths='\fIpath1 path2...\fP'
Non-network directories to put in the database.
Default is /.
.TP
.B \-\-netpaths='\fIpath1 path2...\fP'
Network (NFS, AFS, RFS, etc.) directories to put in the database.
The environment variable \fBNETPATHS\fP also sets this value.
Default is none.
.TP
.B \-\-prunepaths='\fIpath1 path2...\fP'
Directories to not put in the database, which would otherwise be.
Remove any trailing slashes from the path names, otherwise
.B updatedb
won't recognise the paths you want to omit (because it uses them as
regular expression patterns).
The environment variable \fBPRUNEPATHS\fP also sets this value.
Default is /tmp /usr/tmp /var/tmp /afs.
.TP
.B \-\-prunefs='\fIpath...\fP'
File systems to not put in the database, which would otherwise be.
Note that files are pruned when a file system is reached;
any file system mounted under an undesired file system will be
ignored.
The environment variable
\fBPRUNEFS\fP also sets this value.
Default is \fInfs NFS proc\fP.
.TP
.B \-\-output=\fIdbfile\fP
The database file to build.
Default is system-dependent.  In Debian GNU/Linux, the default
is /var/cache/locate/locatedb.
.TP
.B \-\-localuser=\fIuser\fP
The user to search non-network directories as, using \fBsu\fP(1).
Default is to search the non-network directories as the current user.
You can also use the environment variable \fBLOCALUSER\fP to set this user.
.TP
.B \-\-netuser=\fIuser\fP
The user to search network directories as, using \fBsu\fP(1).
Default is \fBdaemon\fP.
You can also use the environment variable \fBNETUSER\fP to set this user.
.TP
.B \-\-dbformat=F
Create the database in format F.  The default format is called LOCATE02.
Alternatively the
.B slocate
format is also supported.  When the
.B slocate
format is in use, the database produced is marked as having security
level 1.  If you want to build a system-wide
.B slocate
database, you may want to run
.B updatedb
as root.
.TP
.B \-\-version
Print the version number of
.B updatedb
and exit.
.TP
.B "\-\-help"
Print a summary of the options to
.B updatedb
and exit.
.
.SH "BUGS"
The
.B updatedb
program correctly handles filenames containing newlines,
but only if the system's sort command has a working
.I \-z
option.  If you suspect that
.B locate
may need to return filenames containing newlines, consider using its
.I \-\-null
option.
.
.SH "REPORTING BUGS"
GNU findutils online help: <https://www.gnu.org/software/findutils/#get-help>
.br
Report any translation bugs to <https://translationproject.org/team/>
.PP
Report any other issue via the form at the GNU Savannah bug tracker:
.RS
<https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=findutils>
.RE
General topics about the GNU findutils package are discussed at the
.I bug\-findutils
mailing list:
.RS
<https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-findutils>
.RE
.
.SH COPYRIGHT
Copyright \(co 1994\(en2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
.br
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.BR find (1),
.BR locate (1),
.BR xargs (1),
.BR locatedb (5)
.PP
Full documentation <https://www.gnu.org/software/findutils/updatedb>
.br
or available locally via:
.B info updatedb
